Means to mute wind instruments



Dec. 21, 1965 .1. c. GUINNEss 3,224,315

MEANS TO MUTE WIND INSTRUMENTS Filed May 21, 1964 United States Patent O 3,224,315 MEANS T MUTE WIND INSTRUMENTS John C. Guinness, 1332 N. Curson, Los Angeles 46, Calif. Filed May 21, 1964, ser. No. 369,216 Claims. `(Cl. 84-383) This invention relates to wind instruments in general and, more particularly, relates to means to mute such instruments.

For the purpose of disclosure the invention is described herein as embodied in a Wind instrument of the type known as a musical pipe. This disclosure will provide adequate guidance to enable those skilled in the art to apply the same basic concepts to other types of wind instruments.

A serious disadvantage of learning to play a musical instrument is that the hours of practice required for attaining proficiency are disturbing to people within hearing range and this problem is especially pressing where people live in closely spaced houses and apartments. Consequently, learners are handicapped and many are reluctant to learn to play.

Various expedients are commonly tried to mute the sound :of a wind instrument to keep from disturbing others but no simple improvision by a player is satisfactory. For example, partially blocking the sound-producing window of a musical pipe by linger manipulation reduces the sound level but at the same time unacceptably changes the pitch. Attempting to muie the sound by blocking the open end of the musical pipe also is self-defeating because it sets up back pressure and destroys the desired air flow pattern at the window.

The present invention meets the problem by advancing two concepts. One concept is to throttle or restrain the air iiow in the air passage of the mouthpiece upstream from the window. The second concept is to provide the restriction by variably projecting into the air passage a permeable or porous body having numerous small passages for restricted air iiow thnough the body.

While various porous and iibrous materials may be employed, it has been found that excellent results are obtained without affecting pitch by using a muting body made of resilient yopen-celled foamed plastic. Such a body permits some air flow even when it completely spans the air passage in the mouthpiece. The resiliency of the foamed plastic minimizes the possibility of damaging the air passage by mechanical impingement and the resiliency is further advantageous in permitting liberal dimensional tolerances.

As will be explained, further objects of the invention include: providing such a muting means that is of simple inexpensive construction; providing for adjustment of the degree of muting as may be desired; providing Visual means to indicate the degree of adjustment of the muting means; providing a muting means that is inconspicuous and does not detract from the appearance of the instrument while the instrument is being played; providing cam action for adjusting the muting effect; and, in the preferred practice of the invention, providing a screw action cooperative with the cam action for adjusting the muting effect.

The various features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing, which is to be regarded as merely illustrative FIG. 1 is a perspective 'view of a musical pipe embodying the presently preferred practice of the invention;

FIG. l2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the mouthpiece that incorporates the muting means;

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FIG. 3 is an end elevation -of the mouthpiece;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged detail of FIG. 2 showing how the muting means is mounted on a rotatable control member;

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the muting means and its control mechanism; and

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 4 but showing a left hand screw thread on the control member.

In the drawings which illustrate a selected practice of the invention, a musical pipe of a well known type comprises a mouthpiece, generally designated 10, and a barrel or tubular body 12 having the usual finger openings 14. The mouthpiece is mounted on one end of the barrel and the -other end of the barrel is open.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the mouthpiece 10 comprises a tubular member 15 with a plug 16 fitted into one end thereof, the tubular member and the plug being cut away in the usual manner to form a reduced end portion 1S that is shaped and dirnensioned to receive a players lips. The tubular member 15 is reduced in in ternal diameter to telescope over the end of the barrel 12 and to provide an inner circumferential shoulder 20 for abutment against the end of the barrel, the mouthpiece being permanently secured on the barrel by a suitable bonding agent. The tubular member 15 is formed with the usual window 22 having the usual beveled edge and the plug 16 is provided with a longitudinal groove which cooperates with the tubular member 15 to form an input air passage 26 that is directed past the window4 22 into the interior -of the barrel 12.

For the purpose of the present invention, the mouthpiece 10 is provided with a transverse passage 28 which extends upward from the underside of the mouthpiece to the air passage 26 and which is enlarged at its upper end to provide a non-circular recess 30 which is open to the underside of the air passage. In this instance the recess 30 is rectangular and preferably the transverse passage 28 is positioned somewhat olf center with respect to the recess. Also for the purpose of the invention, the mouthpiece 10 is formed with an inclined cam slot 32 that communicates with the upright passage 28 near the lower end thereof, the lower portion of the cam slot being formed by an integral projection 34 of the tubular member 15 and the upper side of the cam slot being formed by an integral projection 35 of the plug 16.

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, the muting means employed in the selected embodiment of the invention is an assembly comprising the following parts: a manually rotatable control member 36 dimensioned to be journaled in the upright passage 23 with its upper end formed with la screw thread 38 and with its lower end 40 bent as shown to traverse the cam slot 32; a noncircular block 42 conforming to the rectangular configuration of the recessl 30 and provided with a threaded bore 44 for engagement by the screw thread 38, the block having two undercut or tapered ends formed with shallow grooves 45; a permeable member in the form of a strip 46 of open-cell foamed plastic folded to hollow configuration in the manner shown with ltwo underlying confronting ends 48; and a clip 50 adapted to clamp the -confronting ends 48 of the `strip against the upper surface of the `block 42, the clip being formed with bent tongues 52 at its opposite ends to enter the two channels 45 for positive engagement with the block 42. When the parts shown in FIG. 5 are assembled together as shown in FIG. 4 a central portion of the porous material of the strip extends upward from the clip S0 to provide the desired muting effect in the air passage 26.

When the bent end 40 of the control member 36 is at the lower end of the inclined cam slot 32, the porous strip 46 is at a retracted position in the recess 30 for unimpeded air flow through the air passage 26. When the control member 36 is rotated to shift its bent end 40 to the upper end of the inclined cam slot 32 the material of the porous strip 46 substantially completely spans the air passage 26 for maximum muting effect. It is Iapparent that the control member may be adjusted anywhere in the range between the two limit positions. For example, FIGS. 2 and 3 show the ben-t end 40 at a midpoint of the inclined cam slot 32 to 4cause the porous material of the strip 46 to partially block the air passage 26 for only a moderate muting effect.

It is apparent that two effects are additive in raising and lowering the permeable strip 46 relative to the air passage 26, Ione effect being the longitudinal bodily shift of the control member 36 by cooperation of the bent end 40 with the inclined cam slot 32, the other effect lbeing the screw action between the :block 42 and the control member which lifts the block relative to the control member when the bent end 40 is shifted to the upper end of the inclined cam slot. It will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art that various control arrangements may be utilized for raising and lowering the permeable muting material relative to the air passage. The described arrangement is advantageous however in combining screw action with cam action to provide a relatively long range of vertical adjustment in response to relatively small rotation of the control member 36.

The manner in which the invention serves its purpose may be readily understood from the foregoing description. Normally the muting means is fully retracted to permit unimpeded air flow through the air passage 26. Whenever desired, however, the bent end 40 of the control member 36 may be adjusted by finger manipulation to cause the porous .material of the strip 46 to protr-ude into the air passage 26 to any selected degree. If the porous material is elevated to substantially completely span the air passage 26, the air ow through the air passage is restricted to the capacity of the numerous minute tortuous passages through the material of the porous strip to cause the instrument to play at true pitch .but at an exceedingly low decibel level. Usually it is desirable to employ -an intermediate adjustment of the control member 36 which permits the player to hear and enjoy the music he'creates but at a sound level low enough to avoid disturbing others.

The provision for muting the sound produced by the instrument is inconspicuous and an audience would ordinarily be unaware of the existence of the muting means. It is to be noted, however, that although the muting arrangement is inconspicuous, it does provide the player with visual means for indicating its adjustment since the position of the bent end 40 of the control member relative to the inclined cam slot 32 may be readily observed at a glance. It is contemplated that the control arrangement will maintain any position to which it may be adjusted, the parts fitting close enough for static friction to keep the control member stationary at whatever position to which it may be adjusted. A further feature is that the bent end 40 of the control member may be manually manipulated while the instrument is being played so that the player may arrive quickly at a preferred adjustment.

It is apparent that the construction is simple and inexpensive because the parts shown in FIG. may be fabricated economically. In this regard a feature of the invention is that the assembly of the muting means requires neither special skill nor special tools. It is a simple matter to clamp the porous strip 46 to the block 42 Iby means of the clip 50. With the plug ll6 separate from the tubular member 15 it is a simple matter to place in the recess 30 the block 50 with the porous strip 46 attached thereto and then to screw the control member 36 into the block through the transverse passage 28. The plug 16 is then inserted into its assembled position in the tubular member 15 thereby bringing the two projections 34 and 35 into relative positions to form the inclined cam slot 32 for the bent end 40 of the control member 36.

FIG. 6 4shows how the control member 36 may be provided with a left hand screw thread 38a instead of a right hand screw thread 38 for a differential effect wherein the screw action is opposite to the cam action but less effective than the cam action. Such an arrangement permits fine adjustment by reducing the ratio between the shift of the permeable strip 46 and the rotation of the control member 36 that produces the shift.

My description in specific detail will suggest various changes, substitutions and other departures from my disclosure within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. For example, the permeable strip 46 may be simply adhesively bonded to the block 42 instead of using the clip 50.

I claim:

1. Means to mute a wind instrument having a hollow body with a mouthpiece forming an air passage to the interior of the body, comprising:

permeable muting means movable between a retracted position permitting free air flow through the air passage and an effective position at least partially blocking the air passage, said muting means having a plurality of small passages for restricted air iiow therethrough.

2. Muting means as set forth in claim 1 which includes manually operable control means to adjust the muting means between its two positions.

3. Muting means as set forth in claim 2 in which the control means includes visible means to indicate the adjustment of the muting means.

4. Means to mute a wind instrument having a hollow' body with a mouthpiece forming an air passage to the interior of the body, comprising:

a recess in the wall of the air passage;

a permeable body dimensioned to fit into the recess; and

manually operable means to shift the permeable body between a retracted position in the recess and an effective position at least partially blocking the air passage.

5. A combination as set forth in claim 4 in which said permeable body is a. porous body of resilient material.

6. A combination as set forth in claim 4 in which said permeable body is a body of open-cell foamed plastic.

7. Means to mute a wind instrument having a hollow body with a mouthpiece forming an air passage to the interior of the body, comprising:

a transverse passage in the mouthpiece from the exterior thereof to the air'passage;

a permeable muting body movable between a retracted position in the transverse passage for free airflow through the air passage and an effective position at least partially blocking the air passage, said body having a plurality of small passages for restricted air ow therethrough; and

manually operable control means in the transverse passage movable axially to move the muting body between its two positions.

8. A combination as set forth in claim 7 in which the: control means is rotatable and which includes cooperative means on the-control means and on the mouthpiece: respectively to shift the control means axially in response: to rotation thereof.

9. A combination as set forth in claim 8 in which said cooperating `means includes an inclined cam surface on one of said control means and said mouthpiece and includes follower means on the other of said control means and mouthpiece to traverse the camsurface.

10. A combination as set forth in claim 8 in'which said cooperative means includes an inclined cam slot formed in the mouthpiece adjacent the transverse passage together with follower means projecting from the Qontrol means into the cam slot.

11. Means to mute a wind instrument having a hollow body with a mouthpiece forming an air passage to the interior of the body, comprising:

a non-circular recess in the air passage;

a transverse passage extend-ing from the recess to the exterior of the mouthpiece;

an inclined cam slot extending from the transverse passage radially thereof to the exterior of the mouthpiece;

a non-circular muting means movable from a retracted position in the recess permitting free air ilow through the air passage to a second position at least partially blocking the air passage, the muting means having a plurality of small passages for restricted air flow therethrough; and

manually operable control means rotatably mounted in the transverse passage and operatively connected to the muting means,

a portion of the control means extending into the inclined cam slot to cause axial shift of the control means and corresponding movement of the muting means in response to rotation of the control means.

12. A combination as set forth in claim 11 in which said control means has a screw thread in engagement with the muting means to cause relative movement between the muting means and the control means.

13. A combination as set forth in claim 12 in which the screw thread has a pitch direction to add to the effect of cam slot.

14. A combination as set forth in claim 12 in which the screw thread has a pitch direction opposite to the effect of the cam slot for a differential control action.

15. In a wind instrument having a hollow body and a mouthpiece comprising a tubular member tted with a plug member, wherein the tubular member is formed with a window having a beveled edge and the tubular member telescopically engages the end of the hollow body with the plug cooperating with the tubular member to form an air input passage directed past the window, the improvement comprising:

a transverse passage extending from the exterior of the mouthpiece to the air input passage;

a cam slot communicating with the transverse passage, one edge of the cam slot being formed by the plug, the other edge of the cam slot being formed by the tubular member;

a control member journaled in the transverse passage and extending into the cam slot to engage the edges thereof whereby rotation of the control member causes axial shift of the control member by cam action; and

a muting member on the end of the control member movable by rotation of the control member between the retracted position permitting free air ow through the air passage and an effective position at least partially blocking the air passage, the muting member being permeable for air flow therethrough.

No references cited.

LEO SMILOW, Primary Examiner. 

1. MEANS TO MUTE A WIND INSTRUMENT HAVING A HOLLOW BODY WITH A MOUTHPIECE FORMING AN AIR PASSAGE TO THE INTERIOR OF THE BODY, COMPRISING: PERMEABLE MUTING MEANS MOVABLE BETWEEN A RETRACTED POSITION PERMITTING FREE AIR FLOW THROUGH THE AIR PASSAGE AND AN EFFECTIVE POSITION AT LEAST PARTIALLY BLOCKING THE AIR PASSAGE, SAID MUTING MEANS HAVING A PLU- 